The present invention relates to an anchoring and adjusting assembly for a control cable, and more particularly, to an anchoring and adjusting assembly capable of adjusting an exact anchoring position of a control cable used to connect an accelerator pedal with a throttle valve of an automobile, a control cable used to connect a control lever with a control valve of a construction equipment, or the like.
Though typical examples to which the present invention is applied are automobiles, construction equipments and boats, the object is not limited to the above examples, and the present invention can be applied to any mechanical equipment in every industrial field if a control cable is used as a means to transmit an operational force and an anchoring position of the control cable is required to be exactly adjusted.
There has hitherto been known an anchoring and position-adjusting device for a control cable, for example, disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 246613/1987 (Prior Art I) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63212/1987 (Prior Art II).
The device of the Prior Art I is hereinafter explained with reference to FIGS. 10 through 12. In the device, a conduit 110 of a control cable is fixed to an end of a tubular member 114, and an adjusting member 115 is inserted to the inside space of the tubular member 114. An inner core 113 is extended out of the conduit 110, is passed through an inner hole of the adjusting member 115 and extends towards the end direction. On both lateral sides of the adjusting member 115, ratchet teeth 116, 117 are provided, respectively. Two movable teeth members 119 are provided on the tubular member 114 so as to opposing each other, and are situated at the positions corresponding to the above-mentioned ratchet teeth 116, 117 so that the teeth members 119 can mesh with the ratchet teeth. Further, the two teeth members 119 are bound with two ring-like springs 120, and are urged against the outside surface of the tubular member 114. In the above mentioned device, the tubular member 114 alone can be moved relative to the previously fixed adjusting member 115, and further, both members, i.e. the tubular member 114 and the adjusting member 115, can be moved after each conduit of the control cables are attached on each end of the tubular member 114 and the adjusting member 115 for adjusting the relative positions.
As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, when the above-mentioned teeth members 119 are meshed with the ratchet teeth 116 and 117, the tubular member 114 (or the adjusting member 115) cannot move ahead (to the right direction in FIG. 10 for the adjusting member). On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 12, when the adjusting member 115 is manually rotated in the angle of 90.degree., the tubular member 114 (or the adjusting member 115) can move in the front (in the rear) direction along the axis. Then, the anchoring position can be adjusted since the teeth members 119 do not mesh with the ratchet teeth 116, 117. After the anchoring position is adjusted, the adjusting member 115 is rotated in the angle of 90.degree. again to the original position, and therefore, the relative movement between the tubular member 114 and the adjusting member 115 is restricted since the teeth member 119 mesh with the ratchet teeth 116, 117. Then adjustment of the position is finished.
Next, a device of the Prior Art II is explained hereinafter with reference to FIG. 13.
In the device, an adjusting member 232 is inserted in a cylindrical support member 222 in a movable state along an axis thereof, and an end of a conduit 212 is connected to the adjusting member 232. An inner core 216 is extended ahead through an inside cavity of the adjusting member 232. In addition, ratchet teeth 258 extending in the axial direction are formed on the lower surface of the adjusting member 232. A box-like protective wall 254 projecting largely in the radial direction is provided on a support member 222, and two plate-like latches 240, 242 are inserted movably in the transverse direction relative to the adjusting member 232 in the protective wall 254. Opening portions 244, 246 are formed in the latches 240, 242 for inserting the adjusting member 232, and tooth portions 260, 262 are formed on the bottom edge surface of the opening portion 244, 246, respectively. A cap 252 is attached between the upper portions of the latches 240, 242, and a coil spring 256 is inserted between the cap 252 and the support member 222.
At a normal state, the tooth portions 260, 262 of the latches 240, 242 and the rachet teeth 258 are meshed with each other by means of an elastic force of the coil spring 256, and the adjusting member 232 cannot move forward (to the right direction in FIG. 13). When the cap 252 is pushed down by a hand, engagement between the tooth portions 260, 262 and the ratchet teeth 258 are released and the adjusting member 232 becomes to be movable in the front and rear directions. Therefore, in order to adjust the anchoring position of the control cable, the adjusting member 232 is moved in the front and rear direction after the cap 252 is depressed.
In the Prior Art II, a temperature-detector 264 is inserted between the cap 252 and the surport member 222, so that large resisting force is applied against the movement of the latchs 240, 242 when the surrounding temperature goes down to a predetermined value.
In the above-mentioned Prior Art I, the adjusting member 115 must be rotated two times in order to adjust the position. Accordingly, the adjusting is troublesome. In addition, in case that the adjusting member 115 is not sufficiently rotated in the return direction after the adjustment is finished, the engagement between the teeth member 119 and the ratchet teeth tends to be disengaged, and in this case an unforeseen accident that the adjusting position is unexpectedly loosen will happen.
In the above-mentioned Prior Art II, since the latches 240, 242 and the spring 256 are largely projected in the radial direction from the surface of the support member 222, there is a problem that an occupancy space is large.
In addition to the above-mentioned, since the contour of the device is unsymmetrical in relation to the axis, the space beyond an actual occupancy space is demanded in order to secure the setting space. Especially, the above-mentioned problem tends to be raised when the device is installed in an engine compartment of an automobile or the like, since an inner arrangement is complex, a surplus space is small and the arrangement of the surplus spaces are not in good order in the engine compartment. Further, it is very difficult for an operator to move the adjusting member 232 while pushing the cap 252 after confirming the cap 252 and his finger tip with his eyes in order to adjust the position in such a narrow space.
Under the above-mentioned circumstances, the main object of the present invention is to provide an anchoring and adjusting assembly capable of adjusting an anchoring position for a control cable, in which the adjusting operation is easy, the fixed position after adjusting is secure, the occupancy space is small, and the configuration is symmetric with regard to the center axis so that a large fitting space is not required.